


Donnie's mp3 Playlist for Raph

by Plastron



Series: Raph/Don Song Drabbles [2]
Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: (just in one chapter), Anal Sex, Angst, Arguments, Blood, Briefly mentioned Donatello/Irma, Character Death, Death, Drunkenness, Embarrassment, Established Relationship, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Injury, Insecurity, Jealousy, M/M, Oral Sex, Pining, Rimming, Romance, Rough Sex, Serious Injury (One chapter), Shyness, Song Lyrics, blowjob
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 04:21:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23369119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Plastron/pseuds/Plastron
Summary: DONNIE'S MP3 PLAYLIST FOR RAPH here.Songs that express Don's feelings towards Raph during various points (and versions, even) of their relationship. Each drabble should be taken as a brief standalone snippet. Basically, imagine Don is "singing" these songs to or about Raph in his mind. XD
Relationships: Donatello/Leatherhead (TMNT), Donatello/Raphael (TMNT)
Series: Raph/Don Song Drabbles [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1680784
Comments: 13
Kudos: 39





	1. I Won’t Say I’m in Love (Original, Susan Egan...Male Cover by Ashe)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Major tonal dissonance between the song & what happened to Don, but the lyrics fit well. 
> 
> Don tried to have a relationship with Leatherhead, and it didn't turn out well for him at all. He slowly comes to terms with who has been his hero through everything.
> 
> (Mikey's the Muses, hehe)
> 
> 2k3 TMNT

WARNING: THIS DRABBLE CONTAINS REFERENCES TO VIOLENCE, RAPE, PTSD, ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP UNDERTONES.  
(Also, I love Leatherhead. Not intended to be anti-LH at all.)

[I Won’t Say (I’m in Love) – Male cover by Ashe ](https://youtu.be/JmDNtE8wYlQ)

_If there's a prize for rotten judgement,  
I guess I've already won that  
No man is worth the aggravation  
That's ancient history, been there, done that_

Don stumbled into the lair, breathing hard with each staggering step. He held his arm—he thought it might be broken—But the more pressing issue was his wounds. He needed to sterilize the deep, vicious claw marks across his legs and inspect the damage to his plastron and shell. He knew it wasn’t Leatherhead’s fault…really. He’d just had a serious PTSD episode, and Don hadn’t realized how emotionally and psychologically unprepared for intimacy the crocodile truly was…especially when his animal rage flared up at the worst possible time.

But Don bit his lip as he snuck into the bathroom and hoped he wasn’t torn or bleeding. The burning pain with every step and the warm fluids trickling down his inner thighs and coating his tail told him his optimism was likely unfounded. It started out consensual, he told himself… _he hadn’t been…it was **fine.**_

“What the fuck… Donnie-!” Raph found him on the bathroom floor.

_I thought my heart had learned its lesson  
It feels so good when you start out  
My head is screaming "Get a grip, boy!"  
Unless you're dying to cry your heart out_

Raph had been especially invested in Don’s growing friendship—crush—okay, his head-over-heels-pining—for Leatherhead from the get-go. He’d made fun of Don when he thought his purple-clad brother was way too smitten with the large crocodile scientist. Then Raph got angry with him when Don made it clear to his brothers that he and Leatherhead were more than just friends…and Don thought Raph was jealous because he’d found a good science collaborator--Someone who truly understood Don’s passions and interests. 

But those stolen glances, watching out for Don… now Don wondered if, that whole time, Raph had really just been concerned…for deeper reasons.

After the…incident… with Leatherhead, Don dreaded Raph giving him the “I told you so” treatment. But instead, as the older turtle tenderly dabbed at Don’s cuts and scrapes with iodine, all Don saw in Raph’s eyes was care and sympathy. 

Don cried and bit the leather strap as Raph tended to his more concerning injuries. Don was too distraught to let his pride get in the way, squeezing his eyes shut and biting down hard against the stinging pain as Raph slowly lifted and cleaned his tail. Raph said nothing as he gently inspected Don’s bruised and battered hindquarters for tearing and internal bleeding. Don knew that the smears of dried cum and blood meant Raph had been right. Wasn’t he supposed to be the “smart one”? Why had he been so foolish? Maybe he really wasn’t cut out for romance. 

He woke up a day later, in Raph’s bed, wrapped in blankets, bandaged and sutured. Don blinked, blearily letting his eyes readjust to the light…Raph was gently snoring on the floor beside the bed. Had Raph been watching over him that whole time? 

The “I told you so” lecture Don was expecting never came.

_Who you are is how you're feeling  
Baby we're not buying  
Hon we saw you hit the ceiling  
Face it like a grown-up  
When you gonna own up that you got got got it bad_

Almost a year passed, and Raphael had never spoken to Leo or Mikey about what happened with Don and Leatherhead. Don observed him stoically grumping around, more sullen than usual in the first few months. He couldn’t tell if Raph was angry with him, or if he was just planning to slaughter Leatherhead. It tugged at Don. He missed Raph teasing him, telling him he was a dork, a dweeb, a brainiac. Their conversations were short and lacked the warmth they used to have. Don couldn’t believe he’d ever miss Raph’s teasing and temperamental outbursts, but he’d been treating Don like he was made of glass ever since that night. 

Apparently, Don’s demeanor had changed enough that Mikey gave him an intervention. 

“So, when’re you and Raph gonna kiss already?” Mikey asked, casual.

Don sprayed his mouthful of coffee all over his papers.

“W-WHAT?”

“C’mon, Donnie. It’s so obvious to Leo and I. You and Raphie are always watching each other. He gets upset and nervous if you go out alone…You sigh and act all mopey if Raph’s down about something or gets hurt.”

“Mikey, um, I think you’re maybe reading too much into things,”

“Well, I dunno. Did you hear Raph the other night? He was talking in his sleep. Kept moaning, ‘Ohhh, Donnie, ahh. Ooh! Donnie, ahh…I love ya, please-!’” 

Don’s face was already warm, but he felt positively on fire after Mikey’s (admittedly spot-on) imitation of Raph’s gravelly voice. 

“N-no! No, I didn’t hear any of…what…no way, he couldn’t have been—Aghm…Mikey, uh, the brain er, sagittal MRI scans of the brain suggest that, um… In REM sleep… the subconscious is a funny thing, it’s not completely accurate t-to our f-feelings in waking…life…” 

Mikey’s cat-like grin widened the more Don stumbled through his mental gymnastics…and the darker his blush bloomed across his face.

Don played with his pen. Mikey was still staring at him. He knew he couldn’t worm his way out of this.

“Did…Did Raph really say that? Hah.. that’s so funny. Must’ve been dreaming about someone else and just…” Don felt a goofy grin spread across his face against his will, trying desperately to look anywhere but at his brother. 

“Nope. He didn’t. I just wanted to see what you’d say if you THOUGHT he did.”

“MIKEY!”

“Just say it, dude, you’re in love.”

_Boy don't be proud, it's okay  
You're in love..._

_At least out loud...I won't say I'm in love._


	2. Linger (The Cranberries)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don is a little jealous of Mona Lisa.

Linger (The Cranberries)

_I'm sure I'm not being rude  
But it's just your attitude  
It's tearing me apart  
It's ruining every day  
For me_

_I swore I would be true  
And fellow, so did you  
So why were you holding her hand?  
Is that the way we stand?  
Were you lying all the time?  
Was it just a game to you?_

Don paced around his lab. Had he tightened all of the bolts on the new swiveling arm for the van? Oh, he saw that he’d already put his socket wrench away. Check. He couldn’t remember if he’d finished up those last bits of code…opening his laptop, he saw that everything was in order for the weapons systems and he’d already set it up. Okay. His mind was so cluttered, why was he so out of sorts? 

“Raph was just talking fighting technique with Mona Lisa. That’s all, stop being so weird about it…” He muttered to himself. 

But he couldn’t stop thinking about that fleeting little moment he spied...rounding the corner on the rooftop, he saw their fingers clearly intertwined as Raph said something to her, soft in the moonlight, and then she headed off. He hadn’t seen Raph so happy in the days following; Raph even gushed about how strong and fast Mona was to Leo. Had Don missed something? Raph always had teased Don about being too involved in his “brainiac” stuff…maybe Raph didn’t want a mate who couldn’t fight as well…  
Slouching forward in his chair, Don tried to ignore the tear that trickled down his cheek as he looked over his notes he’d prepared…They were supposed to work on the shell cycle together. Unless Raph had forgotten about it…about them… 

Do friends hold hands? That’s normal, right? It’s not like Raph would leave him for Mona, right? But they have so much more in common. 

Don shut his notebook to protect it against the falling tears. Crumpling into his forearms, he gave in and finally let himself cry.

_But I'm in so deep  
You know I'm such a fool for you  
You've got me wrapped around your finger  
Do you have to let it linger?  
Do you have to, do you have to, do have to let it linger?_


	3. Cruel to Be Kind (Nick Lowe)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Cruel to be Kind (Nick Lowe)](https://youtu.be/FQdxGpV5aV8)
> 
> Younger Don ponders why Raph has to be SUCH a jerk to him all the time.

[Cruel to be Kind (Nick Lowe)](https://youtu.be/FQdxGpV5aV8)

_Oh I can't take another heartache  
Though you say you're my friend, I'm at my wit's end  
You say your love is bonafide, but that don't coincide  
With the things that you do  
And when I ask you to be nice, you say_

(Raph’s 13, Don’s 12)

“Whatcha workin’ on, Brainiac?”

Don sighs. He’s just not in the mood to be bullied or made fun of today.

“If you must know, I’m looking at the old blueprints for the sewers. I think there’s an extra room somewhere nearby that we could use for a garage, someday.”

Raph pokes him in the cheek. “Really? Ya think so?”

Don swats his hand away from his cheek, embarrassed at being prodded.

“That’s the plan, anyway…”

“Blah blah. Well, why don’tcha let me come along if yer gonna be explorin’ the sewers.”

“Why, Raph?” Don flushes. “So you can complain about how lame my ideas are some more? Last time I let you tag along, you spent the whole time doing nothing but insulting me.”

“Heh. Is that what ya think I was doin’?” Raph is looking at him, now, with intense amber eyes… and Don feels…funny. He shifts self-consciously, holding his notes and blue prints against his chest.

Why does he even care what Raph thinks of him?

_You've gotta be cruel to be kind, in the right measure  
Cruel to be kind, it's a very good sign  
Cruel to be kind, means that I love you, baby  
(You've gotta be cruel)  
You gotta be cruel to be kind_

(Raph’s 15, Don’s 14)

Don’s eating a sandwich as he hurries back to the lab. He looks around, ham and cheese dangling from his mouth. He really hopes he won’t run into—

“Hey, porky!”

Don wheels around, nearly chokes on his late night snack as Raph pinches him on the butt cheek.

Don yanks the sandwich out of his mouth.

“Raph! Aghhh, stop! You’re such a jerk—“

Raph laughs as he studies the genius’ flushed face, pouting at him with those ridiculous brown eyes and downturned little mouth.

It’s hilarious- the geek is so tightly wound, Raph can get a reaction out of him with anything.

Raph holds his hands up to protect his face, ready to be swatted at by Don.

He looks through his fingers.

Don’s eyes are watering, and his beak is flushed pink. His round cheeks are dark with embarrassment.

“Whoa…uh, Donnie, I didn’t mean—“

“It’s hard enough trying to get all my work done without you…making fun of me all the time.” Don sobs. “I get it, you’re cool and muscular, I’m a chubby nerd. HAHA, thanks a lot.” He chokes on his last words and runs off, papers flying out of his arms as he disappears into his lab.

Raph hears the door lock, and he feels like a total idiot.

_Well I do my best to understand dear  
But you still mystify and I want to know why  
I pick myself up off the ground  
To have you knock me back down, again and again  
And when I ask you to explain, you say_

Don hates that he's so distracted by his older brother's teasing. Maybe he should just bring it up to father...or just talk to Leo about it. Leo and Raph have butted heads enough, Leo would definitely understand how hard it's been for Don...

But would that make Don look like a coward? Raph might start to leave him alone, but Don just wants him to take him seriously...

Don lies on his bed, arms behind his head. He's scowling, and it's all because Raph had to ruin his mood.

He knows Raph doesn't respect him...he's always making fun of the baby fat still present on his body...always making fun of how "nerdy" he thinks he is... He's always lurking around corners to harass him. Ugh!

Why doesn't Raph just leave him alone, then?

Don rolls over, trying to think of anything but Raph.

Dumb, mean Raph. Cocky asshole, just because puberty hit him like a freight train, he thinks he can tease everyone else.  
Especially Don. What's Raph trying to prove by hanging around near the lab, anyway?

...an hour later, Don's still trying to solve that mystery.

(Present Day in the series)

“Fuck!”

“Raphael, language!” Splinter barks, giving his son a glare.

“Whatever, I’m done sparrin’ anyway. I ain’t even challenged, ya understand?! This is so easy, pairin’ me with Don. Even a low-level foot clan rookie could wipe the floor with his ass.”

Raph grabs his sai from the mat where he’d thrown them down in frustration. The sai are close enough to Don that he can feel Raph’s body heat when he bends over to pluck them up and holster them in his belt. Don’s still trying to catch his breath, on all fours after he’d failed to block nearly every single one of Raph’s blows.

Don gets up, clutching his side where Raph struck him with the back end of the sai, knocking the wind out of him and pushing him to the floor. He follows Raph across the mat while Splinter, Leo, and Mikey look on in silent bewilderment.

“What is going on with you, Raph? I was giving it my best! You don’t have to be so mea-“

Raph turns on Don with frightening speed, taking him by surprise and forcing Don to shrink back.

“What’s wrong with me?! Nothin’s wrong with ME! It’s you! YOU, Donnie! I can’t stand the fact that ya ain’t even got enough in ya to bring me down during practice!”

“Excuse me?!” Don snaps, defensively bristling. “Like you actually care, Raph! It’s not like I’m going to be—“

“KILLED! You’ll be killed.”

Raph’s pain and fear is laid bare. The anger doesn’t even conceal it anymore, his amber eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Don freezes.

“If I ain’t hard on ya durin’ practice, yer little candy ass is gonna get hurt, or worse…Ya think I’ll ever be able to forgive myself if somethin’ happens to ya, Brainiac? Ya…ain’t nothin’ can replace ya-“

“Raph…”

“Shut up! Fuck, Donnie-!”

Raph unholsters his sai again, and hurls them at the mat. He storms off, the sounds of his choking sobs echoing through the halls.

_You've gotta be cruel to be kind, in the right measure  
Cruel to be kind, it's a very good sign  
Cruel to be kind, means that I love you, baby  
(You've gotta be cruel)  
You gotta be cruel to be kind_

This one has some sketches that I did a little while back- My headcanon for this is that younger Donnie was a chubby teen, and that Raph went through puberty first and it hit him like a freight train and damn. XD


	4. What Is the Light (The Flaming Lips)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raph comes to Don's aid in the junkyard, and all Don can see is those bright white streetlights illuminating Raph's dark emerald skin.
> 
> SPOILER AND WARNING: 
> 
> \-----
> 
> I've never written a fic where a character dies before.  
> The lights aren't a reference to what you might expect...  
> NOT A HAPPY ENDING.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song:  
> [What Is The Light (The Flaming Lips)](https://youtu.be/dmzbPLbA9cA)
> 
> This took a VERY different direction than what I'd originally thought...

What Is The Light (The Flaming Lips)

“Donnie-! Don! C’mon, open your eyes!”

Don’s head buzzed. The dull ache behind his eyelids throbbed with every beat of his heart.

He tried to focus on the distant sound of Raph's voice; his eyelids fluttered open with great effort, and the last thing he saw before he faded out again was the blurry silhouette of Raph’s thick neck and broad shoulders looming over him, blocking out the streetlight behind him.

_What is the light that you have shining all around you._

Something soft, cold, and damp patted his cheek. He stirred, flinching at a croaky, gravelly moan before realizing the broken sound had come from his own lips. 

His eyes fluttered open again, and all he could make out was the same broad-shouldered form of Raph, hovering above him. The cool white light behind Raph picked up the sheen of sweat on his dark emerald skin, nearly blinding Don as he squinted up into Raph’s face. 

Maskless. Then he pieced together what had happened—He’d been in the junkyard one moment, and the next, he’d been surrounded by foot soldiers, and he’d felt something crunch beneath his heel and searing pain engulfed his entire body just as Raph came sprinting around the corner, sais flashing--

“O-oh no, Raph, they’re…they’re going to-“

“Shhh, Donnie, don’t try to talk.” Raph dabbed his cheek and forehead with the dampened red fabric.

Don closed his eyes against the refreshing sensation slowly soothing the stinging, burning pain on his skin. He inhaled, recognizing the familiar burnt, slightly metallic scent of Raph’s sweat and grit. The damp thing cooling his skin was Raph’s mask.

_Is it chemically derived?_

“What happened to the—“

“Don’t worry about that,” Raph cradled his cheek in his large hand. “Don’t worry about nothin’ right now, I’ve got you.” 

Don felt lightheaded; it must’ve been from the eyestrain of looking up at those blinding street lights behind Raph’s head. They may as well have been strobe lights; they were flickering so much that it made Don feel dizzy and nauseous.

“Ughh…” Don croaked. “M-my head, I think I hit it…“ He squeezed his eyes shut.

“No, no, Donnie, look at me, c’mon,” Raph urged. He rubbed Don’s cheek again with the wet mask.

Don opened his eyes again, straining to focus on Raph’s face. 

"You might've been right, this time, Raphie." Don coughed. "Thanks for having my back, anyway."

Raph smirked at him, his teeth flashing.

"I'm always savin' yer tail."

_Cause if it's natural, something glowing from inside, shining all around you, its potential has arrived._

In a moment of clarity, Don recognized where they were- they were still in the middle of the junkyard. There wasn’t a street light behind Raph, at all. The only light source was the cloud covering, reflecting the dingy New York light pollution from across the river.

Flashes of light washed over Raph’s face, and Don smiled faintly as he realized his head must’ve really taken a nasty blow; his head felt almost numb with the heat throbbing in the back of his skull. His vision blurred, but he could make out Raph’s lips trembling, and the damp sheen on his cheeks…not sweat, he mused, but tears.

“R-Raph…” Don chuckled. He wanted to tell Raph how bizarre those light patterns were, dancing in his vision. “Y-your face looks—“

“Keep your eyes on me, Donnie, Leo an’ Mike are gonna be here any minute.”

Don breathed a sigh, and a strange crackling noise made him furrow his eye ridges in confusion again. 

“I forgot to tell you, the mufflers I found… they were all rusted, so I was going to…”

Raph’s voice broke. “No, no, stop talking, ya gotta just hold still.” 

Don tried to ask him why, and then he felt it. 

A strange bubbling sensation in his chest. 

He took another breath and the crackling sound returned. 

Don had never been slow on the uptake in his life. 

Not once.

As he tried to understand what the sound was, Raph’s face grew darker until he couldn’t make out his features anymore. He could only see the strong silhouette against the cloud covering above, felt Raph's hand cradling him from behind his head, slick and hot and wet where his fingers brushed Don's neck. 

“Don’t—Don, Donnie, don’t take yer eyes off me…”

His eyes rolled back of their own accord, and Don stared at the sky beyond Raph’s shoulders before his eyelids grew so heavy he couldn’t hold them open anymore. 

_Looking into space it surrounds you. Love is the place that you're drawn to._

Raph cradled what remained of Don's body against his own. 

He pressed his lips against Don’s forehead as he slipped away.

_Looking into space it surrounds you. Love is the face that you're drawn to._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I started writing this during a break and intended it originally to be Don musing about how Raph looks like his savior when he comes to his rescue, but as I listened to the song again and again I realized how well the lyrics fit the sensation of getting lost in a blissful sensation of love, or even literally changing to a different state of consciousness (i.e. fainting or sleeping or dying). 
> 
> I always intended Don to be a little delirious in this drabble, but I didn't intend to write it with Don dying from a dirty bomb. I'm sorry, I usually don't write things this depressing.


	5. Stuttering (Ben's Brother)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1987 TMNT.
> 
> Donatello had an awkward sexual encounter with Irma. Raphael will never let him live that down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can imagine any version, but I wrote this with a more adult ’87 TMNT in mind, due to Don’s even more adorkable characterization. ;)  
> (Yeah, that includes the voices- Rob Paulsen and Barry Gordon for Raphael and Donatello).
> 
> In the 1987 show, they don't call each other "Raph" or "Don." It's extremely rare to hear them call each other by their shortened names, though they call each other nicknames a lot. (like "Buddy" "Pal", etc)
> 
> They address each other by their full names, which I find amusing considering it's generally regarded as the most silly of all adaptations. The only instance I can think of in recent memory is when Raph said "Book 'im, Don-o!" to Don in season 1 of the show when they're trying to fight the Neutrinos in their cars. XD 
> 
> Raph's character is also a lot less tough and angry in this version. He was known more as the snarky, sarcastic guy ("Cool but Rude" lol), and Donatello had a very reedy, high pitched voice that I've always really found cute and amusing. He sounded VERY put-upon when he wasn't cheerful. Poor Don. 
> 
> Aaand if you're not familiar with the show, Irma has an insatiable desire to have a romantic relationship with a man (though some fans have speculated that it's just a cover; Irma/April OTP?) and seems to have a bit of a crush on Donatello. Amusingly, Donatello is the only one who DOESN'T consume a love potion in an episode where the other 3 fall for Irma, and it's up to him to create the antidote. Donatello also from time to time makes disparaging remarks about "humans" in that show. *beepbeepbeep* Ooops, hang on, my gaydar is going off. I think I thought '87 Donatello was gay before I knew what gay was. 
> 
> What a hill to die upon. But say what you will, I'll always love the 1987 cartoon. XDD;;;

[Stuttering (Ben's Brother) ](https://youtu.be/pJUmYkxV0GM)

_It's been, it's been, it's been, it's been  
Su su su such a long time, long time, long time  
Since anybody touched me, touched me, touched me_

Raph snorted.

“Really? Irma? Jeez, of all the humans, you could’ve—“

Don tried to hide his blushing cheeks, fiddling awkwardly with his mask as he turned away.  
“It’s…i-it’s not like we went, yanno…all the way, Raphael.”

“Heh. Do you even know what ‘All the way’ means, Genius?” Raph jutted one of his hips out as he leaned against the brick. It made Don want to punch him, if his mouth wasn’t watering so much at the sight of Raph’s shapely legs.

“Yes, for your information, I-I do,” Don glared at him. “But in any case, t-that was a long time ago. She had a weird crush on me, and I just…well…”

“Well, what?”

“Well, she’s…y’know, a nice lady and all, but…I’m just a—“

“—a green mutant who lives in a sewer, yeah.”

Something about that hurt. Oh. Well, not just something. Don was loathe to admit to Raph that Irma was the one who backed out after a half-finished hand job and some awkward (really awkward) lip-to-bulbous-green-beak kissing. Don hadn’t really known what to do with her skirt hiked up around her hips, anyway.

“So are you, in case you haven’t noticed!” Don snapped. “At least I tried to explore what a life outside of celibacy would be like.” 

Raph gave him that infuriating, cocky grin that Don hated so much. Partly because Don knew he’d never have that sort of self-confidence, and partly because the way Raph’s lips curled up and parted just enough to let his teeth show made Don feel weak in the knees.

“Ah, I dunno if you should be so sure you’re the only one, buddy.” 

“W-what?”

Raph sauntered towards him and leaned in just close enough so that Don could feel his body heat. Dropping his voice to a low purr, Raph husked in his ear:

“Try hittin’ a home run with the blue boy scout sometime…he’s a screamer.” 

With that, Raphael and his infuriating grin and his lithe, shapely legs walked out of the lab, leaving Donatello with his head spinning… and-

Don looked down at the bulge in his lower plastron.

“Oh, great.”  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------

Don spent the next few days convinced there was some kind of conspiracy afoot in the lair.

After all, why would the others act so playful with one another while he anxiously toiled away at his inventions? 

Leonardo acted just as self-righteous and upright as ever during practice. He scolded Michelangelo for chewing with his mouth open as they consumed their daily pizza concoction. But Don noticed little things, things that hadn’t been so apparent (or had they?) before… The little smile quirking at Leo’s lips as he took a drink of soda. 

The sidelong glances Mikey gave Leo and Raph as he licked a bit of melted marshmallow off his fingers. Had Michelangelo always licked toppings off his fingers so s-l-o-w-l-y before? Marshmallow and chocolate pizza was a favorite, and Don couldn’t recall a time in recent history when Mikey had ever taken his time getting more pizza into his mouth. 

And then there was the tv time in the den. 

Raph… Don was certain it was some kind of ploy to tease him even further when he caught Raph tickling Mikey in the den so openly. 

Mikey erupted into fits of giggles and hit Raph with a pillow, which only encouraged the red banded turtle even more. He dug his fingers into Mikey’s sides, and Mikey hollered for mercy as they rolled around on the couch and crashed to the floor while the movie continued playing. 

They’d both seen Don come in with a plate of reheated pizza, so why would they be so obvious about it? Don tried to keep his eyes on the screen from the worn out easy chair, but those flashes of movement and twitching muscle beneath green skin (besides the giggling) proved way too distracting. He sighed, and excused himself without a word to his lab.

So, Raph and Mikey (also!) were probably…

It was infuriating. And childish, and…frustrating.

Don tried to avoid leaving his lab at night. Raph’s words, “He’s a screamer” echoed in his head. He tried not to imagine what Leonardo’s voice might sound like if Raph were to… if he and Leo were… Ugh. So Don kept busy as best he could, and only passed out to sleep well after he could hear them all snoring in their own beds.

It was a quarter past midnight about a week later when Raph showed up in the lab, startling Don as he tightened the bolts on his latest invention. 

Except this time, Raphael’s usual put-downs and sarcastic remarks were nowhere to be found. Instead, Don found himself face to face with him when he turned to ask what exactly the big idea was. 

Before he could say anything, the shock of being beak to beak with Raph’s half-lidded, smirking face was enough to render him speechless.

And then Raph reached down and traced a line over Don’s bulging lower plastron; Don hadn’t even realized he had a half-hard erection. Like many things, he ignored it until he was certain he had alone-time in the shower or bathroom. 

But Don certainly felt it when Raph’s finger pressed against the cartilage just enough to make him squeak.

“Ah!! I-I…W-what’re you doing, Raphael…?” Don whimpered, backing against his work table.

Raph grinned lopsidedly at him, keeping his hand cupped around Don’s bulge.

“Listen, pal, I gave you several chances to join in the fun. But I thought I oughta pay you a visit before I find out you ended up in the backseat of the news van with Vernon.” 

“W-what?” 

_The way that you touch me  
So if I stutter, stutter, stutter  
Then I feel so so so unsexy  
So maybe I'll just keep my mouth shut at least until you kiss me_

“Don’t ‘What’ me, Donatello. It’s obvious to everyone but you…you’re sexually frustrated. And I think I know… exactly… why.” Raph’s voice lowered to a low husk. 

(AN: For an idea of what voice I’m imagining-- “Or I’m gonna hafta get…sarcastic.” - Raphael from the first season of ’87 TMNT. Some of my friends didn’t watch the show in English, maybe, but Rob Paulsen’s performance as more-lighthearted-and-jokey-but-sometimes-very-sassy-and-sultry Raphael in the 80’s and 90’s is gold.) 

“So is little Donnie gonna come out and play with me, or what?” 

Don blushed as Raph let his fingers dip into the rapidly swelling slit in his plastron.

“I-I have a lot of things to take care of t-tonight, Raphael, I don’t think—!”  
Raph sighed, clicking his tongue against his teeth. 

“Drop the shy and simpering act already,”

“…not an…act…” Don strained against the table, feeling the heat of Raph’s questing fingers pressing against his arousal.

Don could smell pepperoni on Raph’s breath. They were so close…

“Alright, fine,” Raphael actually sounded a little unsure. “Sorry, man… I guess I had the wrong idea.” He pulled back, and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Thank you.” Don tried to compose himself, to regain some dignity. As much as he could with the head of his swollen cock peeking out of his plastron, cheeks aflame, and clinging to the table with tense knuckles. 

Raph stepped back, really studying him. He had that infuriating smirk on his face again.

“What?!” Don snapped, trying to hide his rapidly swelling “problem” with the ties on his belt. The longer Raphael studied him, the more embarrassed he felt. They’d all teased each other before, but something about Raph’s gaze had Don’s heart in his throat.

Raph just chuckled. “Gotta say, Donatello…dazed and confused is a good look for you. You’re so innocent with your little” -he mimicked Donatello’s awkward body language and voice- “‘aah, what?’ schtick…It’s actually kinda cute.” 

“Okay, so I’m not experienced like you guys are. You don’t have to rub it in.”

“I’m not, I’m just saying, I didn’t realize you were…quite THAT innocent.” 

Raph let out another little laugh.

“That does it,” Don grumbled.

“Oh, what? Are you gonna bore me into bed, now? At least let me take my gear off—Mmmmfgh!”

Don lunged at Raph before he could finish, pressing his beak against Raph’s.

It was awkward. He couldn’t quite find Raph’s mouth with his, and they ended up bumping rounded beaks more than kissing. Don pulled back when he realized he’d just clumsily licked at Raph’s lips, rather than locking lips.

But… he guessed it was enough to get Raph to stop embarrassing him. 

Don’s eyes darted to the door. Maybe he could make a run for it, and just hang out at April’s until oh, next year.

_So kiss me again  
Cause only you can stop this st st st st stuttering  
Kiss me again  
And ease my su su su su su su su su su suffering_

Instead, Raph pulled him back towards him, his voice soft.

“Dummy. That’s not how you do it.” 

“-w-well…” Don opened his mouth to explain himself… like he always felt he had to. 

Raph rolled his eyes.

“Fine, alright, alright- I’ll show you.”

For once, Donatello didn’t stammer out a flustered explanation. There was no snappy comeback from Raphael. 

Just the heat of Raph’s mouth pressed against his, and the unspoken promise of a warm embrace through the night.


	6. Baby Come Home (Scissor Sisters)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Based on the song, "Baby Come Home" by Scissor Sisters. ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEkmXRM7CLw&list=PLWLHpx10OgMyff1NZwg3oKtERZBc3J8E4&index=17)
> 
> Don has a lot of time to fume and stew while Raph's out after an argument... but by the time Raph comes home to him, he can't bring himself to scold him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Raph and Don have been together for a few years in this fic, probably in their mid-late twenties.

["Baby Come Home" (Scissor Sisters) ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEkmXRM7CLw&list=PLWLHpx10OgMyff1NZwg3oKtERZBc3J8E4&index=17)

It was a silly argument, really. Don knew he shouldn’t have been so critical when he told Raph he should take it a little slower on the shell-cycle, shouldn’t go looking for trouble… he should’ve known Raph would take it as a barb; as proof that Don held a dismissive attitude towards his restlessness, rather than a genuine concern for his safety. So when Raph stormed out, throwing his helmet on the ground with a loud clatter, Don was left there to ruminate over all the ways that he’d started to sound too much like Leonardo, and not enough like Raph’s supportive partner.

_I don't mind  
If you're running around  
Givin' someone the time  
It's alright  
Cause I know that you love me_

But Don tinkered into the night, trying to keep his mind off of the worry that Raph was out there doing something dangerous… with someone dangerous.

Don shook his head. What was he thinking? Raph would just bust a couple of thugs, probably more sadistically than usual. Maybe he’ll have a couple of beers with Casey. He wouldn’t do anything too reckless, just because he was angry with Don…would he?

He’d finished repairing the cracked visor of Raph’s helmet, and set it carefully to the side so the epoxy could cure. He ran his fingers over the bottom edge of the helmet. 

“Well, two can play at this game,” Don huffed, taking off his gear and climbing into bed. He rolled over onto his side of the bed they’d shared for the past year or so, trying to ignore the scent of Raph on the other pillow. “’m tired of always being the one who has to think things through.” He murmured, to no one in particular. 

_I'm layin' in bed with a whole lot of wonder  
Going through my head  
This 'don't give a fuck'  
Gets a little bit lonely_

He fluffed his pillow and tried to fall asleep. Every time he closed his eyes—

Raph punching a brick wall, bare-fisted. 

Raph, climbing into a bus and driving it full speed at an enemy, using the vehicle as a battering ram. 

And Raph, drifting into turns, far too quickly. It was a marvel of physics that he didn’t wipe out, fly through the broken glass-lined window, and lose half the skin on his body to the asphalt below. 

He picked up the shell cell, which had laid undisturbed on his bedside table for the past hour and a half.

No text messages or any missed calls. 

Don didn’t even want to check the rest of the lair to see if Raph hadn’t just left his shell cell home, anyway.

Don entertained the idea of going out by himself at night for once. Maybe he’d make Raph worry. What would he do? He could… run around over the rooftops until dawn. Maybe he’d stop a few robberies along the way, and then watch the sun rise.  
That would show him. Maybe then, Raph would know what it felt like to lie there in bed, stomach in knots, worrying about Don’s shell for once. 

_But I'm too cool to lose my control  
You're too cool to call  
Maybe I just don't want to know  
You're out there having it all_

Don smirked at the thought of Raph pacing back and forth, looking at the clock… 

…his thick muscled thighs tense as he turned on the ball of his foot, the scarred emerald skin stretching over the flexing sinew of his…

…Damn it. 

Even when he imagined petty “taste of your own medicine” scenarios, Don still couldn’t quit thinking about how beautifully his mate’s emerald green skin stretched over his taut muscles.

_Baby come home to me  
Baby come home to me  
It's a half past quarter-to-three  
Baby come home to me  
I said I'm not that kind of guy  
But you bout to see a grown man cry  
Baby come home to me  
Baby come home_

Don yanked the pillow from next to him and held it over his face as he let out an aggravated groan, then tossed it to the floor. A glance at the clock showed him it was well past midnight, and dawn would be approaching in a couple of hours.

“Raph…why do you have to be so… so STUBBORN?” Don gritted through his teeth, fisting the sheets. But he couldn’t pretend he wasn’t just sick with worry. 

Raph WAS stubborn, and could be reckless. Don tried not to think too much about his fears that his mate had gotten into serious trouble. 

He’d stitched up lacerations and bullet wounds for Raph far too many times; probably just as many times a result of Raph going out on his own to blow off some steam as it was during routine team missions.

_Maybe one more pill  
Will help me close my eyes  
To the pain I feel  
I can't sleep  
Unless you're laying beside me  
I've got no doubt  
That you'd be just fine  
If you were livin' without me  
But I just can't let you start it tonight_

Don considered taking an over-the-counter sleep aid pill, just to calm his nerves and maybe help him catch a couple of hours of sleep before Raph came home… But he reconsidered when he remembered he’d promised to fix Mikey’s skateboard the following day. 

The empty part of the bed where Raph’s shell had worn a nice rut into the (already worn-out) old mattress smelled faintly of Raph’s sweat. Don turned away from it, trying to put his mate out of his head… but all he could feel was the edge of the indentation against his thigh, could imagine the phantom sensation of one of Raph’s strong arms wrapped over his own.

Don’s tail waggled back and forth idly as he lay there on his side, staring at the brick wall. 

_  
“Oh…Oh, shell…”_

_“Whaddya want, Donnie, c’mon-!”_

_“Ah… agh, I w-want you…to hnnh-!”_

_Raph’s dick rubbed against the underside of his tail. “Yeh want me ta what?”_

_“Aghh… put it in… a-and c-come inside me…”_

_“There ya go,” And with that, Raph planted a kiss to his neck._

_Don counted the bricks on the wall, his vision blurred as his mate pressed up under his tail and entered him roughly. He’d start fucking him hard and fast, hips pushing him back and forth on the bed._

__

Now, Don realized, he couldn’t so much as look at the familiar brick wall in his—their—room without thinking about how good it felt to be stuffed full with Raph’s thick cock.

They often made love while spooning like that.

The emptiness behind Don on the bed felt even colder when he thought about the warm, solid body of his mate pushing against him from behind, as he’d done so many nights.

_9 10 11 now midnight strikes  
I don't know where you been_

Don was just about to turn over so he could sleep on his belly when he heard the door creak open. He jerked up, looking over to see Raph’s familiar form, slumping forward.

Oh, no. Was he…was he injured?

“Raph!” Don called.

“Mm…Donnie, hey.” Raph grunted.

“Are you alright? Where’ve you been?! Don’t you know what time it is? You’re not injured, are you-?” Don was breathless, spewing all of his questions at once.

Raph shrugged, stepping into the dim light to plop down on the bed. Don smelled alcohol. 

“You’re…drunk! Agh. Raph, c’mon, seriously?”

“Yeppp. Seriously,” Raph snorted and Don realized he was…giggling? “Got real messed up, jus’ hung out wi’ Casey. Complained ‘bout cha a lot. Got my bitchin’ outta the way, but,” 

Raph reached over and grabbed Don’s tail.

Don squealed indignantly.

“…but all I could think about was…how much I wanna jus’ cum inside yeh…” 

Don shivered, pushing his ass back into Raph’s hand as he rubbed his forefinger and middle finger over the velvety soft (and sensitive) skin under his tail. 

“Hehhh…it’s not going to be that easy, mister.” Don chided, a hint of playfulness lending a sing-song quality to his soft voice. He bit his lip, trying to ignore the heat rising in his cheeks. “I was really worried about you. We never discussed things, and…you just stormed out, so--“

“Oh…ohhhyeah? Really?” Raph gave him a toothy grin, and Don felt a rush of warmth flood his body. “Yeh really think it’ll be so hard an’ complicated? Why should we sit aroun’ talkin’…when I just looove yeh so damn musssh?” 

He rubbed his calloused index finger over Don’s hole, teasing him just right, and Don positively liquefied, melting into the bed; into Raph’s touch.

_But I still wanna make love tonight  
When you come stumbling in_

“Well, hnngh! When you put it like that-!” Don purred. “Heh… hm, maybe I should let you get drunk more often if it means I get such a horny and sappy Raphie. Don’t forget, we’re supposed to be…ghh…fighting.” 

Raph leaned over and planted a sloppy, wet kiss to Don’s butt cheek, just inches from the base of his tail. 

Don yelped, embarrassed. He was waggling his tail frantically back and forth like a little puppy.

“Nnn…no fair, I was supposed to…to scold YOU!” Don pushed his face into the pillow, letting Raph fondle his ass some more.

“Ohh? mMmm iszat right? Why, cuz ‘m so drunk? Ain’t like you, Donnie.” 

“Well, ugh!” Don glared over his shoulder when Raph nipped his tail lightly. “You had me really worried, and…we can’t just h-have sex to make up, you know!” 

Don inwardly knew he was fighting a losing battle of rational thought versus his own desire to make feverish, crazy love to Raph… but he didn’t exactly make a good argument with his ass pushed high in the air.

Raph looked wide-eyed, like an innocent turtle. 

“Really? We can’t?” He paused in his ministrations on Don’s backside. He rested his chin on Don’s rump. “But…m’sorry, Donnie.” 

The warm breath on Don’s ass was enough to break his resolve. They could discuss everything tomorrow. 

Right now, Don thought, the warm breath making every nerve in his ass and lower plastron jump, well, right now maybe he could also take advantage of the situation.

“Alright, I forgive you…on one condition,” Don panted, trying to look back up at his mate. 

“Yeh, anythin’ ya say, Donnie.”

Don usually wasn’t so crass in bed. He usually preferred to let Raph say the dirty things, usually preferred to let Raph take action. Usually he was a little bit too shy to say outright what he wanted, unless Raph asked; over the years, Raph just sort of…knew what he wanted. 

But Raph’s drunken mellow state was catching. This wasn’t an ordinary night.

“I’ll forgive you, but only if…if you fuck my brains out, so I can forget how worried I’ve been.”

“Heh…I really had too much ta drink, ‘cus it sounded like ya jus’ said ‘fuck my brains out’…”

Don bucked his hips, smirking as he heard Raph’s teeth click as he bumped his mate’s face up off his ass. He turned on his side and lifted one of his feet to rub against Raph’s jawline. 

Raph’s dumbstruck face, golden eyes wide and glassy as he looked at him like he was a ten-course feast ripe for devouring, was worth it. 

Don gave Raph his best bedroom eyes look, dark brown boring into amber in the dim light. 

“You heard me. Fuck my brains out.” 

Raph gave him a crooked grin, eyes half-lidded—whether with drunkenness or affection, Don didn’t know; he didn’t really care—and licked his lips.

_Baby what do I do  
Just to keep from tearin' in 2  
Baby what could you say  
To drive my fears away_

This was easily the most awkward night they’d shared in a while, not counting their earlier times together as blushing and fumbling teens.

The formula was simple: 

\- 1 part brazen Donatello, still a little bit smug and exhilarated by his foray into more obvious flirting  
\- plus 1 part drunk and very horny and oh-so-sorry Raphael  
\- stirred AND shaken with a dash of unspoken “I love you when you’re annoyed”’s and murmurings of “I owe ya big time,” and whatever beer was left in Raph’s stomach…  
\- and a dash of stiffness in Don’s joints and clumsiness in Raph’s limbs

…and the result would have been very embarrassing if it weren’t for the fact that Raph was drunk and Don couldn’t bring himself to care.

“Heyyy, Donnie, yeh wanna fuckin’ show a li’l agility heeere?” Raph slurred. He grunted as he pushed Don’s legs further apart. 

“Me?!” Don hissed. “You’re the one whose blood is more…ethanol than plasma!” He sputtered, trying to lift his hips higher for Raph to reach. “Ow!” 

Raph accidentally pushed his knee down too far, and Don flinched at the strain in his inner thigh as those big hands nudged him open.

He sighed. Maybe he shouldn’t have stayed on his side to do this, but he loved the way Raph caressed his hip as it jutted out.

Raph stumbled as he tried to line up with Don’s tail, and fell forward on top of him, sending both of them tumbling to the bed in a heap. Don’s bent leg ended up trapped, hooked over Raph’s bulky shell. Raph’s face was pressed into the crook of his shoulder, his beak practically wedged into Don’s armpit.

The puffs of hot air from Raph’s breath tickled him, and Don struggled to push the heavy turtle off of him so they could at least look at each other.

“Hangon…hang….I gotta better idea,” Raph slurred. 

Don tried not to laugh as his beak tickled him under the arm, but he couldn’t help but tense and giggle, breathless as he still tried to pull his leg back and off of Raph’s shell.

“Wh-what? What’re you doing?” Don gasped, feeling Raph’s dick dripping against the leg he still had on the bed. 

“Man, yeh really gotta work on yer flexibility some, Donnie.” Raph grunted as he pulled back. He managed to sit back with his ass on his heels, kneeling between Don’s scissored legs. Don’s leg was still draped over his shoulder, and as Raph drew up and back, he caught Don’s ankle in his hand.

Don pouted up at him, face flushed. 

_Maybe one red letter day  
There'll be no more chips to play_

And then Raph leaned forward, pushing Don’s leg back and back…and back, until he was spread open sideways on the bed. Raph turned his head to kiss the soft inner thigh that now rested upon his shoulder. Don was practically upside down, his lower leg bent around Raph’s knees, and his upper leg supported by Raph’s shoulder. 

Raph pushed forward and tipped him even further, so that Don had to shift his head to avoid straining his neck against the pillows. 

And just as Don was thinking he couldn’t possibly stretch any wider, Raph brought his other hand down to support his hips, and pushed them up so he could look at Don’s weeping cock and his hole. 

Raph’s face was inches from his most sensitive parts, and somehow Don felt even more exposed when his lower half was elevated so high. 

“Well? Don’t tell me you already forgot what I said—“

He didn’t have a chance to finish, because Raph pressed his long tongue out and licked a hot stripe up Don’s cock from base to tip. Don yelped, and Raph swallowed his cock and played his tongue along the underside.

Enveloped in hot, wet bliss, Don squeezed his eyes shut and moaned, tensing his legs and afraid to buck his hips, lest Raph lose his grip on his leg and ass. Raph made pleasured noises as he tasted Don, rolling his tongue over and around Don’s cock, letting the head tap the roof of his mouth.

Don was moderately-sized compared to Raphael’s monster cock. It certainly had its advantages, especially when it came to receiving a good blowjob; Raph fit the entire length of his cock easily inside his mouth. Don felt like his entire being began and ended with the slick heat of Raph’s mouth.

“Aghhhh….ah-! Agh, oh, o-oh R-raph, I-I’m…aahh-!” Don cried out, stammering as he felt the heat building in his lower abdomen…

Raph chuckled, his throat and tongue vibrating against Don’s dick… and then he pursed his lips and sucked.

Don’s eyes flew open, mouth gaping as he looked up at Raph in a haze. He emptied himself for what felt like ages as Raph gulped and sucked hungrily at his penis. Raph’s lips bumped the slit in Don’s plastron as he took Don’s cock deeper into his throat, finishing every last drop.

Don gripped the sheets, convulsing. He faintly remembered his ambitions to be more dominant, more commanding this time… but his mate had him entirely in his mouth, and he was already spent. 

Well, Don could at least be more convincing in the inevitable second half of their coupling… 

…or so he thought.

Before Don could so much as grab Raph’s forearms to guide him, Raph let go of his cock with a popping smack of his lips, and dropped Don’s hips without ceremony or gentleness. 

Don whimpered when his butt bounced back onto the bed, flaccid dripping cock dangling wilted between his legs. 

What was the plan? Oh…oh yeah, he was going to get up, and lead Raph by riding him on top… then he’d control the pace. Maybe he could still fit in a little bit of erotic chiding for Raph’s bad behavior earlier; he’d take it so slow sinking down on Raph’s dick that Raph would beg him for release, head thrashing and pleading…

But Don’s limbs felt like lead, his muscles spent.

Maybe Raph was right… damn it, he really did need to work on his flexibility.

Raph grunted and before Don knew it, he was being pushed open again, his hips dragged back and up.

Raph grabbed him around the hips, and Don was shocked to feel Raph’s sweaty mask and forehead touch his inner thigh. Even when drunk, Raph managed to pick up his entire lower half and press his face between his opened legs with the greatest of ease. But Don’s ass was sideways, and his tail twitched as Raph’s shredded mask and cheek pushed under his tail. 

“W-wait, isn’t that going to be uncomfortable for your ne—“ 

Raph pushed his long tongue inside Don’s tight hole in a smooth motion.

“—AGH!” 

He was being fucked open and looser by the second by Raph’s tongue.

Raph pushed his wriggling tongue in so deep that his teeth scraped against the soft flesh pulled taut around Don’s opening, and Don felt his brain short-circuit.

Screw that plan, he was a rag doll.

Well, this wasn’t the same as a verbal apology and a discussion, which would surely follow the day after… but it melted all of Don’s cares away.

“Aughh… aghh… R-Raph-Raph…RaphRaphRaphRaph-!” Don chanted. Raph’s mouth, Raph’s tongue, Raph’s fingers, Raph’s beak, that was all that flooded his brain. Raph, Raph, Raph.

Raph pulled back with a lewd smacking of his lips, dropped Don’s lower half back to the bed, lined himself up…

“OhhhhhGoddddD-onnie…” 

…and pressed inside.

His hips stuttered for a moment as he adjusted to the wet, tight heat, and Don had just a second to brace himself before Raph pulled back and rammed home again and again.

He fucked Don into the pillows, pushed deep inside and could barely keep a steady rhythm enough to pull all the way out; instead, Raph thrust in three modes: deep, deepest, deeper. It was sloppy and rough, and embarrassingly loud, but neither of them cared. 

Don bit down on his knuckle as Raph’s thick cock dragged a little too hard at his stretched hole on the pull-back, his cheeks were soaked with sweat and tears from the burn (so good), and his cock threatened to erupt again as his inner walls accepted everything Raph had to give him…

…Oh, but it meant Raph was home. 

Raph sank in one last time and flooded Don’s ass with heat, throwing his head back and churring in relief.

Raph could leave in a huff and come home again 

and again, and again, for all Don cared. 

They’d talk everything out tomorrow. 

_When you come home  
Baby come home_


	7. Hajimete No Chuu - "My First Kiss" (Kiteretsu Daihyakka Anime ED theme)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pre-relationship: Raph thinks Don has some unusual taste in work music, but then he hears Don singing.
> 
> [The cursed song that will never leave my head: Hajimete No Chuu (original version)](https://youtu.be/-dvJLdcI1S8)  
> [Romanized/Translated Lyrics taken from Anime Lyrics](https://www.animelyrics.com/anime/kidaika/hajimetenochuu.htm)  
> [Among the MANY covers/English Adaptations of the Song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvvFnGvHRzw) (Adapts the lyrics pretty accurately, but there are changes to the exact translation to fit the rhythm/syllables)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehehe...uh, I wrote this in one go. Please excuse any grammatical errors/typos. I just wanted to get the idea out there and done, I've been sitting on this darn song for months now on the playlist. XD
> 
> Takes place when they’re teens, around the 2nd season of the 2k3 show (Just before/at the beginning of their relationship)

[Hajimete No Chuu (Kiteretsu Daihyakka)](https://youtu.be/-dvJLdcI1S8)

The door to Don’s lab was left open a crack, and Raph could see the sliver of light spilling out into the hall.

“I’ll bet the brainiac’s fallen asleep at the computer again,” he muttered quietly, shaking his head with a smirk. 

But he heard a faint noise; not machinery…it was…melodic. 

A soft humming, punctuated occasionally by typing and the clicking of the mouse.

Was that Donnie humming?

He peered in, and saw that Donatello was sitting at his computer, headphones on. 

What a dork. Raph grinned. Maybe he could sneak up on him.

He loved to see Don a little flustered. Unlike Leo or Mikey, Don never reacted in anger or anything over-the-top. Nah, Donnie was always a little more shy if he was caught off guard. 

Raph found himself grinning like a dope. 

So maybe it was a little bit cute. 

_nemurenai yoru  
kimi ni sei da yo  
sakki wakareta bakari nano ni_

_Adaptation:  
(Can't get no sleep tonight  
It's all because of you.  
Even though I was with you  
And we just said good night)_

Well, what else was a bored turtle supposed to do for entertainment in the middle of the night? So sue him, Raph had to have some fun when he couldn’t sneak out.

Raph tiptoed through the door, and readied himself for the pounce…

But Don’s humming was more audible from inside the room, and his voice was so…

…sweet. Soft, and soothing, Don’s low humming caught Raph off guard.

Dude could actually carry a tune. But what was that little tune he was humming-?

“Hey, Raphie? What’s up?” Don asked, a little too loudly. Don turned in his chair, and it was Raph’s turn to feel flustered.

Don must've seen his reflection in the screen.

“Agh! Uh, heya…Donnie,” Caught red-handed, Raph pretended he was going to ask him something, but he couldn’t think fast enough. Instead, he stood there stiff as he looked at Don’s perplexed face, framed by his headphones.

“Yeah,” Don giggled. “Donnie, that would be me. Did you need something?”

“Um… nah, I just…” Raph looked past him at the computer screen. A window displaying some kind of code and techno jargon Raph didn’t really understand sat there, cursor flashing where Don had left off. “So uhh…whatcha listening to?”  
“Oh! Well, here…” Don pulled the headphone jack out and some soft synthesizer music drifted out of the computer speakers. Don turned the volume up so Raph could hear it easier. 

It was a little tinny, but Raph guessed that might be the crappy salvaged speakers Don had to use. He made a mental note to try and look for some better speakers for Don to use next time he went by the junkyard. Music-box-esque chimes punctuated the melody, providing small chiming chords. 

Then, to Raph’s amusement, a chipmunk sounding voice sang out, 

“mimitabu ga... For you  
moeteiru iru... For you~”

“What the-?” Raph laughed. “What is this, ‘The Chipmunks Tour Japan’?” 

“Well, if you’re gonna be ruuude about my taste in music, I’ll just turn it off.” Don joked. He turned the dial down and shrugged. “What can I say, it’s catchy, and it helps me concentrate.”

Raph gave him a puzzled look. He never guessed Don had such eclectic taste in music. Usually he’d just have the radio on, or some other classic rock playing while he worked. 

“I first heard it on an old VHS April and Casey got for Splinter from a store in midtown…it was a collection of old commercials and TV clips. They thought it might be a little bit of nostalgia for him. There was this anime show, and…” 

Don typed something into his browser and hit enter. 

“See? It’s from a vintage anime. ‘Kiteretsu Daihyakka,’ it’s called.” 

An image of a cute little cartoon figure with a red nose and small tuft of hair appeared on the screen. 

“Aw, ain’t that cute,” Raph snorted. But he wasn’t so sure he was being sarcastic; the sweet faces of the characters reminded him a little of Don when he was curious about something.

The music still played. 

_“yatta...yatta...yatta yo (Ohh)!”_

“Can ya understand what the words are?” Raph asked, grinning at him. 

Don blushed. “Yeah, um, a little bit…there’s an English adaptation of it that fits the rhythm. Let me see…”

_“hajimete no chuu  
kimi to chuu~”_

He sang softly along with the music: “It is my first kiss, chuu…A kiss with you, I will give you all my love~” 

_“I will give you all my love  
naze ka yasashii kimochi ga ippai” _

Don’s face flushed a little as he continued singing, unable to meet Raph’s eyes, “…why is it I feel this sweet and tender~? Oh, I don’t know why~” He stopped, shaking his head, flustered. “Well, you get the idea. It’s a love song…yeah, I can’t really sing, haha. How much do I have to bribe you with to keep you from telling Leo and Mikey about this?” 

Raph stepped closer.

“Ah… actually, uh, ya ain’t sound half bad,” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Not that I go in fer all that mushy kinda music, but hey,” He punched Don’s shoulder. “Whatever helps ya with work, yanno?” 

“Yeah… well, thanks.” Don replied, shyly peering up at Raph. He rubbed his toe over the tile on the floor. “Um, well, do you need anything? I was just going to finish this code for the weapons system in the van and then head to bed.” 

“Hehe, naw, I’m good…” Raph smiled. “Don’t stay up too late, Donnie. Otherwise I might hafta smash up those stupid speakers so ya don’t sit here listening to all that mushy stuff an’ melt yer brain or somethin’.” 

Don laughed. The sound was sweet and musical to Raph’s ears. When had Don’s voice started to affect him so? 

“If you do, you’ll owe me new ones!” 

“Actually, maybe ya already need some new ones, cause even that chipmunk singin’ sounds a little rough through those old junky ones…” Raph awkwardly shifted from one foot to the other, rocking back and forth in an attempt to be casual. But he felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest for some reason. “Maybe uh, if ya ain’t busy, we could go lookin’ fer some tomorrow?” 

Don smiled at him, putting his headphones back on and whirling back in his chair. 

“Sure, it’s a date. G’night, Raphie.” Don waved over his shoulder. 

Raph inhaled some of his own spit, and coughed his way out of the lab before Don could turn around. 

The sound of Don’s soft humming and singing drifted out behind him. 

“Deeto koosu ha mou kimetanda  
Ashita no yume ga fukurande kuru”

“And when we meet again  
I know just where we'll go  
All my dreams of tomorrow  
Can't help but to grow and grow~”

_Kono ai wo TO YOU_  
Itsumademo TO YOU  
Kitto kitto kitto sa OHH 

_All this love I give to you  
Give eternally to you_

_For sure, for sure...Ohh..._


End file.
